Brown-headed Nuthatch in western KS

[Brandon]

Colorado birders should be on the lookout for this species.  One is in Garden City, Kansas, only 70 miles from the Colorado border.  A few Colorado birders got to see it yesterday morning.  Since Pygmy Nuthatches aren't really wandering around this fall, if you see one in eastern Colorado, be sure it isn't a Brown-headed Nuthatch and let us know.  Colorado hasn't had this species so far.  The bird in Garden City, is the furthest west one to be found ever.

Brandon Percival
Pueblo West, CO

[Dave Cameron]

Brown-headed Nuthatch was re-introduced last year in the Ozarks in Missouri.  Possibly this is a wandering member of that population.

Dave Cameron

Denver

[David Tønnessen]

I believe it was determined that all the birds reintroduced in Missouri were banded, and this one isn't. But I suppose it could be an offspring to them if those birds successfully bred and the young weren't banded.

David

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[Timothy Barksdale]

Hi Cobirders,

Because Dispersal is a function to spread genes and increase diversity, I would expect the source of wandering birds to not be from areas which are newly "colonized".

Missouri's reintroduced birds did breed successfully, and there is abundant habitat to "fill in" within a few miles of the reintroduction location, let alone within a few counties away.

Because of all of the energy saving factors naturally built in to birds, I just can't see the Missouri birds leaving.

In other species like Ruffed Grouse, there are well know factors in which young males up and fly long distances. The "Crazy flight" is a genetic mixing tool to increase diversity in sedentary bird populations and normally occurs from densely populated ones. So think about density as the major factor from where the birds originate. Look for highly concentrated areas, perhaps on eBird maps, and you might find ideas. 

Should a bird like that be captured and banded a very small amount of blood or tissue could be analyzed to find the markers indicating the source location. God forbid that it would be collected.

Tim

Birdman Productions 

Choteau, MT

BIrdman Adventures

Mokane, MO

[Derek Hill]

If Brown-headed Nuthatches haven't naturally recolonized Missouri since disappearing 100 years ago, with nearby populations in Arkansas, despite the recent restoration of habitat to "fill in," couldn't it be just as likely for this westward individual to be from Missouri? Ebird maps don't show the species to be particularly dense through most of their range, and apparently sedentary enough and not dense enough to recolonize MO without human assistance. And if these transplants were released in an area that somehow wasn't fit to be naturally recolonized, might there be a chance a relocated bird found it somehow unsuitable still, and wandered westward almost to CO? I'd have to dig out Pulich's "Birds of North Central Texas" to confirm, but I remember something like Dallas County Texas having zero records of BHNU despite them being resident just a stone's throw away in E TX pineywoods, while instead having a record of a vagrant Pygmy Nuthatch that wandered much farther - just an anecdote about how sedentary BHNU seems to be. The BHNU and PYNU sisters sure seem like good indicator species and picky about their forests. Just rambling and musing here, trying to see the world through a nuthatches eyes for a moment.

"Apparently sedentary year-round [BHNU].... Of 49 territorial, color-marked birds in Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park that were present for > 2 years, 36 (73.4%) occupied the same territory every year, for up to 6 consecutive years (G. L. Slater, unpublished data). The remaining 13 (26.6%) switched territories between years, but no individual switched territories more than once during the period of observation (1998-2006; GLS, JDL). Studies of marked birds outside of breeding season lacking and thus details of winter home range remain unclear. Incidental observations of banded individuals on or near breeding territories during the winter suggest year-round residency... Measurable genetic differentiation between nearby breeding populations (separated by <40 km; Haas et al. 2010), tendency of SY males to remain on or near natal territories (Cox and Slater 2007), and failure to recolonize vacant but suitable habitat (e.g., Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park; Lloyd et al. 2009) suggest that movement among populations limited." <https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/bnhnut/cur/demography>

Not venturing a guess on where the KS bird was born really... I have no idea! Scrutinize any wayward Pygmies out on the plains , some sharp eyes and ears will pick one out in CO some day! I bet it'll be in a small town cemetery with a few nice pine trees.

RE the Arctic Tern in Larimer @ Horseshoe - what's the best access point to scan the lake? Congrats to Josh Bruening on finding this awesome bird!

Good birding & Happy Halloween!

Derek Hill

Loveland

derek.jac...@gmail.com

https://www.flickr.com/photos/26102738@N07